Wire-fencing tool



(No Model.)

. J. M. BARCLAY. WIRE PEN-GING TOOL.

Patented Aug. 7, 1894.

IS msns cal. PHo'roumQ. wmmc UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEt J OHN MJBAROLAY, OF KEARNEY, NEBRASKA.

WIRE-FENCING TOOL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 524,125, dated August '7, 1894. Q

' Applicaticrfiled April 4, 1894: Serial No. 506.294. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern! Be it known that I, JOHN M. BARCLAY, of

wire-fencing tool which shall be more convenient and effective in operation than those at present in use; and my improved instrument is particularly devised for the purpose of facilitating the operation of seizing the line of wire, raising it to its proper position against the fence post, and giving to it a certain amount of tension or tautness, before commencing the final operation, whereby the wire is rendered completely taut. Wire stretching tongs have already been devised which tighten the wire by turning the tongs, as a lever, about the fence post, but none of them is so constructed as to enable any considerablevdegree of tautness to begiven to the wire before andin addition to this turning operation, so far as I am aware, and my invention is animprovement in this respect, thus permitting the final degree of tension to be much greater than that attained with prior devices 1 of this kind.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of my improved wire fencing tongs. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same and of the post in the final stage of the 0peration of tightening the wire; and Figs. 3 and 4 are side views on a smaller scale illustrating two of the steps of the operation.

Referring to the drawings, 1 and 2 represent the upper and lower halves respectively of the tongs. These are provided with handles 3, 4, one of which, as 3, has permanently secured thercto at its end a ring 5, which when. passed around the end of the other handle, after the wire has been grasped by the tongs, serves to preserve said grasp of the wire, as is common. The "ends of the two parts 1 and 2, forward of the pivot 6, are provided with raised shoulders 7, 8, having notched or channel jaws 9, '10, for grasping the wire.- From the outer edge of the upper half 1 of the tongs, back of its pivot, extends an arm 11, and this arm joins the forwardend of the half 1 in a gradual'curvature, which curved portion is thus adapted to lie close against the fence post, and the tongs to turn around the same as on a pivot.

It is totbe observed that the wire 12, when grasped by the jaws 9, 10, is in line, or nearly so, with the general direction of the tongs. I believe that-I am the first to provide wire stretching tongs for grasping the wire in this manner, and at the same time having an arm extending at right angles to this direction,

or thereabout, to act as a fulcrum upon the performed by the tongs about the fence post will not stretch the wire sufficiently. It is for the purpose of giving this prior tension to the wire that I have devised my present improvement.

I am aware that wire stretching tongs have been constructed with an arm adapted to pass around a fence post and act as a fulcrum for the tightening of the wire, but these instruments, so far as I am aware, are defective in this particular, that such arm is approximately in line with rection of the tongs, and the line of wire passes transversely across the tongs, instead of Ion gitudinally, as in my instrument, Hence the operation represented in Fig. 3, is practically or extension 8 5 the general diimpossible, for if the handles of such tongs 5 were placed in line with the main direction of the wire, the extension would not be in proper position to act as a fulcrum, and unless they are so laid in the general direction of the wire, it is impossible to pull upon the roe wire in the manner represented in Fig. 3. Now this defect I remedy by my invention. As is illustrated in Fig. 3, the operator pulls back upon the wire until considerable tension is given thereto, when the arm or extension is in position to pass back of the fence post. This removes most of the strain from the operator, who then uses the tongs as a lever and turns them about the fence post into the position shown in Fig. 4, still further tightening the wire. The operator can now hold the tongs in that position by means of his body or limb, and has both hands free for affixing the staple which secures the wire in place.

By my improvement therefore, I am enabled to impart a much greater degree of tautness to the wire than has hitherto been attained through instruments of this kind, for I am enabled to attain a considerable degree of tension by a direct pull alone, and to increase this tension further by using the tongs as a lever.

The extension 11, is, at its extremity, bent at an angle to form a pointed toe 15 to act as a staple puller, and it will be seen that by the arrangement here disclosed I provide very great leverage from the end of the handle 1.

The edges 13, 14:, of the extension 11 and part 2 which are in proximity to each other are sharpened, and serve as means for cutting the wire When desired.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The wire stretching tongs or pliers, each half thereof having a handle, one of said halves having an arm extending therefrom behind the pivot in the plane in which the tongs work, substantially as described.

2. The wire stretching tongs or pliers, pro-- vided with raised shoulders between which the wire is grasped, each half of the tongs having a handle, one of said halves having an arm extending therefrom in the plane in which the tongs work, substantially as described.

3. The wire stretching tongs or pliers, provided with raised shoulders between which the wire is grasped, the grasping surfaces bein g parallel or thereabout to the general di rcction of the tongs, each half of the tongs having a handle, one of said halves having an arm extended therefrom behind the pivot in the plane in which the tongs work, substantiallyas described.

. JOHN M. BARCLAY. In presence of- W. JAcKsoN FALLOWS, A. T. KINGSLEY. 

